Mexican Dip

This is my husband's favorite to have during football games!  It freezes well.  :)

Mexican Dip
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can enchilada sauce
1 can evaporated milk
1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed

Brown beef & saute onion in large pan.  Add all canned items and the cheese, cook over medium heat until melted.  Cool and place smaller portions into Ziploc freezer bags or containers.

To Serve: Thaw (optional).  Reheat in saucepan.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Whole Wheat Honey Bread

I make the dough in my breadmaker. Let it rise in 2-3 loaf pans then bake it.

1 3/4 c. Warm water
3T butter, melted
1/3 c. Honey
6 c. Whole wheat flour
1tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp yeast

Place ingredients in breadmaker in order listed. Choose dough cycle. Spray 2-3 loaf pans. Divide & shape dough into each pan. Let rise 1 hour. Bake for 45 minutes at 350F. (My oven temp isn't great so it bakes the loaves in about 20-25 min.). You will obviously want to adjust the time for your oven. Enjoy!!!

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Chicken Kabob Marinade

It's that time of year...when most of our dinners are grilled! This recipe is fast, easy and the end result is REALLY GOOD, especially with grilled veggies & buttered rice! My 2-year-old LOVES this chicken!

Chicken Kabob Marinade

1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. thyme
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut up

Mix marinade ingredients in 1-2 freezer bags (depends on the size of your family). Cut up chicken and place in/divide between bags. Seal bags & mix chicken with marinade. Freeze bag(s).

To Serve: Thaw bag overnight in fridge. Place chicken on grill skewers and grill over low-med heat until chicken is done. Serve with grilled veggies & rice.

Salsa Dry Mix

I've been focusing on mixes in my kitchen lately...to save time and money. Our finances are really tight right now with the increase in gas and food prices and we've been eating a lot of salsa as well as rice mixes (recipes to come soon!). I shop for my spices and pantry staples at Amish bulk food stores - so the mixes really are inexpensive to make!

This mix tastes very similar to Tastefully Simple's Salsa Salsa dry mix but at a fraction of the cost! I often puree the tomatoes in the blender prior to mixing in the dry mix as my kids prefer less chunks of tomatoes. :o)

Salsa Dry Mix

1 1/2 c. dry cilantro
2 T. garlic powder
1/2 c. dry onion
1/2 c. dry sweet pepper flakes (and/or red pepper for heat, if desired)
1 tsp. salt
2 T. pepper

Mix all ingredients in an airtight container. Shake before using.

Salsa = 2 T. mix to 1 can diced tomatoes (or stewed tomatoes for milder tasting salsa)
Spread = 2 T. mix to 1-8 0z cream cheese block
Dip = 1 T. mix to 16 oz sour cream

Frozen Berry Salad

This is another recipe that I took with us for vacation last week that I found on 30DayGourmet, though I reduced the sugar from the original recipe. It was well-liked by everyone, including my kids. :o) If you're making it for a small family divide it between 2 8x8 pans or put in small disposable cups, cover and freeze. It will be great to pull out of the freezer in the summer for an afternoon treat!

Frozen Fruit Salad

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 c. sugar

20 oz. can crushed pineapple

30 oz. frozen strawberries, raspberries, blueberries

1 1/2 c. sour cream

Beat cream cheese & sugar until fluffy. Drain pineapple and add with berries. Mix well. Fold in sour cream. Spread in 9x13 pan and freeze.

To Serve: Remove from freezer 15-20 minutes prior to serving so it can be sliced.

Veggie Black Bean Soup

This is a delicious soup recipe (tweaked from TOH). I made it, froze it and took it with us on vacation last week since I firmly believe it's vacation only when you don't have to cook! :o) I thawed it in the fridge overnight and then dumped it in a crockpot in the morning and let it simmer all day. I added the barley about 30-45 minutes prior to serving it. It received rave reviews from everyone - even the men!

Vegetable Black Bean Soup

2 c. chopped onions

1 c. chopped carrots

1 c. chopped celery

6 c. beef (or veggie) broth

1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed & drained

1 tsp. garlic powder

3/4 tsp. pepper

1 package of spinach (10 oz) frozen chopped

1 c. pearl barley (needed day you serve it!)

Saute onions, carrots, celery over medium heat until onion is tender. Stir in broth, tomatoes, beans, garlic powder & pepper. Bring to boil. Simmer 10 minutes. Add spinach. Cool & freeze.

To Serve: Thaw & reheat on stove top or crockpot. Add barley 30 minutes before serving.

Italian Stromboli (Large Calzone)

This is one of my hubby's favorite meals. It's great to double on a weeknight and freeze one for a future meal! If you make it with homemade bread dough you could freeze it prior to baking it. Then when you want to serve it in the future, remove it from freezer and thaw on cookie sheet in fridge. Bake as directed below.

Italian Stromboli

1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed (or make your own in breadmaker)
1/4 lb. each of sliced ham, pepperoni & genoa salami
1/2 green pepper, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
several mushrooms, sliced
1 c. mozarella cheese, shredded
marinara sauce for dipping (great recipe HERE)

Saute' onion, pepper & mushrooms in skillet until tender. Set aside. Spread thawed (or homemade) dough into large rectangle on cookie sheet. Layer one side of the dough with sliced meat, sauteed veggies and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle small amount of garlic powder and Italian seasoning over cheese. Fold empty dough side over, sealing edges. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes or until dough is baked to golden on top. Let sit 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with warmed marinara sauce.

To freeze: Place cooled slices in Ziploc freezer bag.

To Serve: Reheat in oven (wrapped in foil).